These tools will no longer be maintained as of December 31, 2024. Archived website can be found here. PubMed4Hh GitHub repository can be found here. Contact NLM Customer Service if you have questions.


Pubmed for Handhelds

PUBMED FOR HANDHELDS

Search MEDLINE/PubMed

  • Title: Sugar malabsorption in functional bowel disease: clinical implications.
    Author: Fernández-Bañares F, Esteve-Pardo M, de Leon R, Humbert P, Cabré E, Llovet JM, Gassull MA.
    Journal: Am J Gastroenterol; 1993 Dec; 88(12):2044-50. PubMed ID: 8249972.
    Abstract:
    OBJECTIVE: To investigate the relationship of sugar malabsorption to the development of clinical symptoms in functional bowel disease. METHODS: Twenty-five consecutive outpatients [five men, 20 women; mean age 38.7 +/- 2.6 (SEM) yr] with functional bowel disease and symptoms suggestive of carbohydrate malabsorption were studied. Twelve healthy subjects [six men, six women; mean age 35.7 +/- 3.7 (SEM) yr] acted as the control group. Sugar malabsorption was assessed by breath-hydrogen test after an oral load of various solutions containing lactose (50 g), fructose (25 g), sorbitol (5 g), fructose plus sorbitol (25 + 5 g), and sucrose (50 g). The severity of symptoms developing after sugar challenge was studied. In addition, the effect on clinical symptoms of a diet free of the offending sugars, compared to a low-fat diet, was assessed. RESULTS: Frequency of sugar malabsorption was high in both patients and controls, with malabsorption of at least one sugar in more than 90% of the subjects. Median symptom scores after both lactose [median 6; interquartile (IQ) range 3-7] and fructose plus sorbitol (median 2; IQ range 0-4) malabsorption were significantly higher than after sucrose load (median 1; IQ range 0-1.5) in functional bowel disease patients (p = 0.001 and p = 0.007, respectively). However, there were no differences in healthy controls. In addition, symptoms score after both lactose and fructose plus sorbitol malabsorption was significantly higher in patients than in control subjects (p = 0.02 and p = 0.008, respectively). On the other hand, H2 production capacity, as measured following lactulose load, was significantly higher in patients than in controls. The clinical symptoms improved in 40% of the evaluated patients after restriction of the offending sugars. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that sugar malabsorption may be implicated in the development of abdominal distress in at least a subset of patients with functional bowel disease.
    [Abstract] [Full Text] [Related] [New Search]